EL MIRASOL

Sunday lunch was at our favorite restaurant in Buenos Aires - El Mirasol. Every Porteño, which is what residents of this port city are called, has his favorite meat restaurant which he defends proudly. Meals involving meat often end up in a discussion of where the best grilled beef can be had.

For years now, we have been regular customers of the La Recova branch of El Mirasol. The menu is simple, with a few starters including the Provoleta - grilled cheese sprinkled with oregano, assorted empanadas - from the traditional meat to corn, Chorizo and Morcilla (blood sausage). There is also a selection of assorted mixed salads from the simple arugula salad to a beetroot and grated carrots. Sides are different fried potatoes - shoestring, garlic fries, thinly-sliced coins as well as other green vegetables.

What comes next is the long list of grilled meat from every part of the cow plus a few cuts of pork, chicken and lamb. We started out with meat empanadas, chorizos and morcillas. Next came the mollejas (sweetbreads) which are not to be missed. The sweetbreads are thinly-sliced, grilled to crispness and succulent with just a squirt of lemon juice. With this came a rocket salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.


Next up was the main course. We had two typical cuts of meat - entraña (skirt steak), asado de tira (short ribs) and a grilled boneless chicken thigh with crispy skin for our son. The meat was grilled to perfection, seared on the outside and juicy inside and the accompanying fries were crispy.

Dessert was a panqueque de manzana (caramelized apple pancake) shared by my mother-in-law and myself, fruit salad and some fresh cheese with candied pumpkin which my brother-in-law had and I tried as it was something completely new to me. Espressos came soon after with the bill. After lunch, we walked the five short blocks home for a much-needed siesta.



One of the reasons we love this resrtaurant so much is that the food is consistently good every single time we've come. The service is efficient with the same familiar waiters serving the same tables year in and year out. It's essential to make a reservation as it is packed for both lunch and dinner.

In a city where almost every street corner boasts a fantastic steak restaurant, El Mirasol is one of the places that both locals and tourists love. Here, you always know what you're going to get - great grilled meat, excellent service and reasonable prices.

P.D. October 2011

We end up at El Mirasol for several meals every single year we visit Buenos Aires, and this year was no exception.  The fried meat empanadas and mollejas are still the best and although the prices have gone up, no one can beat their consistency in preparing perfectly-grilled meats, especially the typical Argentine cuts of asado de tira and entrana, along with efficient service.  We still haven't been to a parilla that can top El Mirasol (that includes the overrated Cabana Las Lilas) and we've been to many over the ten years that we've been going to Buenos Aires.

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El Mirasol de La Recova
Posadas 1082
+5411 4326 7322/23/24